October 21: All Out for Detroit! Rasmea’s Pre-trial hearing

• Tuesday, Oct. 21: Call the prosecutors and tell them, ‘Drop the charges now!’
• Come to Detroit on Oct. 21, Rasmea Odeh court appearance
• Detroit U.S. Attorney threatens supporters of Rasmea Odeh
• Add your organizations name

Tuesday, Oct. 21: Call the prosecutors and tell them, ‘Drop the charges now!’

Call Jonathan Tukel in Detroit at 313-226-9100
Chief of National Security Unit, U.S. Attorney’s office, Eastern District of Michigan
Call Barbara McQuade at 313-226-9501
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan

When you call say, “Hello, my name is ________, and I am calling from _________ to demand that U.S. Attorney McQuade drop the charges against Rasmea Odeh.” (First name pronounced Russ-MEE-yuh)
Make the calls!
Tuesday, Oct. 21, from 9 am to 5 pm Eastern Time

From a recent CSFR statement:
“The prosecutors also have a problem with people who want to petition the government for a redress of grievances, so they complain in their motion that those who want the charges against Rasmea dropped ‘have previously attempted to flood Department of Justice telephone lines in an attempt to influence these proceedings.’
      We will continue to hold call in days and we will organize even more people to participate in them.”
So, call, call call!

Come to Detroit on Oct. 21, Rasmea Odeh court appearance

Facebook event

Join us, the National Rasmea Defense Committee as we travel with Rasmea Odeh to court in Detroit on Oct. 21 for an important hearing before Judge Drain. We are asking you to join Rasmea Odeh’s supporters for rally and protest outside the court on Tuesday, Oct. 21, Palestine solidarity and civil liberty activists from Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, Grand Rapids and other Michigan cities will join Rasmea Odeh and pack the courtroom. You can make a difference in stopping this ugly U.S. government targeting of a great woman and Palestinian leader. Join us in saying, “No more torture! Drop the charges now!”

Court Hearing for Rasmea Odeh
Oct. 21
9 am. – Picket line outside the court building
231 W Lafayette Boulevard, in Detroit

Hearing starts at 10:00 a.m.

The Rasmea Defense Committee, United States Palestinian Community Network, and the Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR) are mobilizing to fill the courthouse.

The national Rasmea Defense Committee includes United States Palestinian Community Network, Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR), Coalition to Protect People’s Rights (CPPR), 8th Day Center for Justice, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)-Chicago, American Muslims for Palestine, Anti-War Committee (AWC)-Chicago, AWC-Minneapolis, Arab Jewish Partnership for Peace and Justice in the Middle East, Arab Resource and Organizing Center, Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Chicago Light Brigade, Committee Against Political Repression, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)-Chicago, CAIR-Michigan, Friends of Sabeel-North America, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, International League of Peoples’ Struggle-U.S., Jewish Voice for Peace, Lifta Society, National Boricua Human Rights Network, National Lawyers Guild (NLG), National Students for Justice in Palestine, Palestine Solidarity Group-Chicago, Palestine Solidarity Legal Support, Palestinian Youth Movement-USA Branch, St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee, United African Organization, United National Antiwar Coalition, US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, Voces de la Frontera, and Women Against Military Madness.

Detroit U.S. Attorney threatens supporters of Rasmea Odeh

Bizarre DOJ accusations against Hatem Abudayyeh attempt to criminalize opponents of political repression.

In a bizarre and desperate move, prosecutors in the case of Palestinian American leader Rasmea Odeh filed a motion in Federal Court Oct. 3, which characterized the efforts of an important leader of the Rasmea Odeh defense campaign, Hatem Abudayyeh, as “jury tampering” and “almost certainly criminal.” The prosecution then asks Judge Gershwin Drain for an “Anonymous Jury,” which means that the names of the jurors are kept secret from the defense attorneys, and that an array of security measures are put it place during the trial that make it seem like 67-year-old Rasmea Odeh is a dangerous person.

There is no evidence at all for the baseless accusations against the movement in support of Rasmea. The prosecutor’s motion is a clumsy attempt at intimidation and should be condemned by everyone who is concerned about civil liberties.

Here are the facts. Rasmea Odeh is a beloved leader of the Palestinian community in Chicago who is facing trumped up immigration charges. Imprisoned by the Israelis in the late 1960s, due to her work to free Palestine, Rasmea was tortured and sexually abused. She is well known and respected across the world. The federal government is threatening her with jail and deportation. As a result, a powerful and effective movement organized protests around the country, demanding “Justice for Rasmea.”

Now the prosecutors are waging an attack on everyone involved in this movement to support and defend Rasmea.

They talk about ‘jury tampering.’ Until there is a trial, there is no jury, so how could a jury possibly be tampered with? In any event, at no time have we ever tried to improperly influence a jury. Not once. What we are doing is organizing protests, having people sign petitions and holding educational events. We are encouraging people to attend Rasmea’s court appearances. We are shining a light on the unjust prosecution of Rasmea. We want the government to drop the charges.

In the prosecutor’s motion we are told, “Hatem Abudayyeh has orchestrated a concerted effort to influence the criminal proceedings against defendant, which has resulted, at each proceeding, in a large group outside the Courthouse protesting and parading, carrying signs demanding dismissal of charges and ‘Justice for Rasmea’ and displaying the Palestinian flag.” Imagine that. Palestinians, Arabs and progressive people responding to an injustice by holding a protest and engaging in activity that is protected by the First Amendment. In the world that the Detroit U.S. Attorney wants, speaking out as we have is, “almost certainly criminal.” On the contrary – it is criminal for the prosecutors to attempt to restrict our constitutional rights.

It is worth noting that there is a distinctly racist, anti-Arab undertone to the prosecutor’s motion, where spirited and dignified protests, with a majority of Palestinian American participants, are described as “hordes” and “mobs.” Again, the federal government is trying to sow fear among people in the U.S. by criminalizing and stereotyping Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims. As one of Rasmea’s lawyers said when he was informed of the motion, it, ” is only intended to play the ‘terrorism’ card and is unacceptable.”

The prosecutors also have a problem with people who want to petition the government for a redress of grievances, so they complain in their motion that those who want the charges against Rasmea dropped “have previously attempted to flood Department of Justice telephone lines in an attempt to influence these proceedings.”

We will continue to hold call in days and we will organize even more people to participate in them.

We take the threats of the prosecution seriously. We urge all of our supporters to keep their eyes on Detroit and to be ready to respond to any attacks on leaders of the Rasmea defense campaign.

We see these threats as a sign that our campaign to defend Rasmea Odeh is working. We were successful in getting Zionist Judge Borman off the case. There are now thousands of people across the country engaged in organizing for Rasmea. We will not allow the government to intimidate us. This attack will bring more supporters and strengthen our work further. We will redouble our efforts to make sure the charges against Rasmea are dropped!

Add your organizations name: Condemn government threats against supporters of Rasmea Odeh

The Committee to Stop FBI Repression is urging all progressive organizations to sign the following statement. To add your organization to the statement, please email[email protected].

The statement reads:
“The undersigned organizations support the democratic rights of the Rasmea Defense Committee, the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, and other organizations to organize broad, public support to drop the charges against Rasmea Odeh.”

To add your organization to the statement, please email [email protected].

In a chilling attack on civil liberties, prosecutors in the case of Palestinian American leader Rasmea Odeh filed a motion in Federal Court Oct. 3, which characterized the efforts of the Rasmea Odeh defense campaign, as “jury tampering” and “almost certainly criminal.” The prosecution asked Judge Gershwin Drain for an “Anonymous Jury,” which means that the names of the jurors are kept secret from the defense attorneys, and that an array of security measures are put it place during the trial that make it seem like 67-year-old Rasmea Odeh is a very dangerous person.

Everyone who has ever participated in protest at a courthouse against an unjust legal proceeding or raised their voice in defense of a political prisoner should be alarmed at this turn of events.

There is no evidence at all for the baseless accusations against the movement in support of Rasmea. The prosecutor’s motion is a clumsy attempt at intimidation and it is an attack on all of our civil liberties.

The prosecutor’s talk about jury “tampering” is bizarre and dangerous. Until there is a trial, there is no jury, so how could a jury possibly be tampered with? What the prospection is angry about is protected first amendment activity, such as holding rallies at Detroit’s Federal Court Building and organizing call in days to the Department of Justice.

The prosecutor’s motion states that Hatem Abudayyeh, a leader of the effort to drop the charges against Rasmea Odeh, “has orchestrated a concerted effort to influence the criminal proceedings against defendant, which has resulted, at each proceeding, in a large group outside the Courthouse protesting and parading, carrying signs demanding dismissal of charges and ‘Justice for Rasmea’ and displaying the Palestinian flag.” Palestinians, Arabs and progressive people are responding to an injustice by holding protests and engaging in activity that is protected by the First Amendment. In the world that the Detroit U.S. Attorney wants, speaking out is “almost certainly criminal.” On the contrary – it is criminal for the prosecutors to attempt to restrict our constitutional rights.

It is worth noting that there is a distinctly racist, anti-Arab undertone to the prosecutor’s motion, where spirited and dignified protests, with a majority of Palestinian American participants, are described as “hordes” and “mobs.” Again, the federal government is trying to sow fear among people in the U.S. by criminalizing and stereotyping Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims.

To add your organization to the statement below, please email [email protected]
“The undersigned organizations support the democratic rights of the Rasmea Defense Committee, the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, and other organizations to organize broad, public support to drop the charges against Rasmea Odeh.”

Email [email protected] to add your name!